Are you ready for feria?

I am! The official opening of the El Puerto feria and the alumbrado, the lighting of the portada (the main gate) was on Wednesday night. Feria is all the best parts of Andalucian culture combined with a county fair, where locals go all out with dressing up and party all night. It is oh so Spanish. So, what does an Americana need to do to get ready?

This year's portada - different than the traditional arches and a point of conversation.

Take Sevillanas lessons. A type of flamenco dancing for the masses, Sevillanas may look like a lot of arm waving, stomping and spinning, but there are specific steps. Most Spanish people learned as schoolchildren, which is why they make this look easy. If you want to join in at feria, you'll need to take lessons or at least have someone teach you some of the basic steps. I've been taking a class twice a week since January. There are 4 dances and after several months I'm confident with the first, alright with the second, not great at the third, and still get completely lost in the fourth. Practice, practice, practice! Then, realize that you will never be perfect, have a rebujito or two, and jump in!

Get your dress. The traditional traje is a must. Bold color combinations, polka dots, ruffles, lace, fringe - at any other time, it would seem ridiculous, but not for feria. What would usually be described at best as "loud" and at worst as "gaudy" or "tacky" is transformed into something vibrant and beautiful. The sight of so many women wearing these traditional dresses is nothing short of striking. I didn't have a dress last year (since we were traveling for a large part of the feria season) and I knew I would have to have one this year. So, I bought two.

Easter traditions

Our Easter was fairly relaxed - breakfast (at 2 in the afternoon) followed by mimosas (which we first attempted to order as cava y zumo de naranja) with amigos. Then we cooked dinner (a seared salmon salad, no Easter ham here) at the casa and hung out on the couch. I did eat a couple of Russell Stover marshmallow eggs that my mom sent in a care package, but other than that, I guess you say could our Easter was a bit unconventional.

Graham and I were recently talking about traditions and how, in the (almost 9!) years together, there's really nothing that we can think of that we always do for a holiday. Even Christmas is inconsistent - we even had a tree in April one year when Graham got home from a 7 month deployment. This military lifestyle, with deployments, training, frequent moves, sometimes far away from family or even to another country, means that holidays and traditions are flexible. Circumstances change but I try my best to embrace whatever our current situation is and celebrate accordingly.

Which might be why I'm fascinated by Semana Santa, Holy Week. It's so uniquely Spanish - a week of religious processions full of symbolism and traditions that have endured for centuries (makes our less-than-a-decade look like nothing). The pasos - giant floats carried on the backs of believers and covered in gold, silver and flowers, the hooded penitents, wafting incense, flickering candles, marching bands...

Chupitos (little drinks)

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in all of the excitement of living overseas and traveling to different places that we forget to share the details, the little things, that make living in España so unique.  

One of those little things is literally a little drink, what Americanos would call a shot, but the Spanish have a much better word:  chupito. 

Now, you can take a shot whenever (breakfast, if that's your thing). But here it's common to have chupitos after dinner. The waiter brings one for each person and they are normally something sweet, like limoncello, caramel vodka, or acorn liqueur. Everyone raises their little glass and says "¡Salud!" or "chin chin". It's a fun tradition and a great way to end a dinner with friends.

¡Euro 2012 Champs!

Yesterday, España won the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament! They dominated the Italian team with a score of 4-0 and became the first team to successfully defend the European Championship. Which you already know, unless you live under a rock or in the United States. This is huge for Spain and a big deal in the rest of Europe, but like most soccer football news in the States, the story is buried somewhere in the sports section.

After Spain defeated France.

Graham only saw the second half of the game, because he is traveling and was on a train to Sevilla. Meghann is at home in States and was at a family barbecue, but we were both cheering for our home team (Meghann even has the official Euro 2012 app on her phone). Unfortunately, we missed out on celebrating in the streets after the final game, but it was still exciting to follow Spain throughout the tournament and we did go out to watch a few of the earlier games. 

Graham's family was visiting during part of the tournament. Here we are with James, Graham's brother, watching the Spain vs. Croatia game.

Following football and cheering for Spain has been another unique part of our overseas experience. Even though we're not locals, it's been fun to gear up, go out, and get into the excitement of the games. ¡Viva España!

Off to the races!

Tomorrow is the running of the Belmont Stakes and I'll Have Another, the horse that won in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, could be the first Triple Crown winner in 34 years. We normally watch the races (Graham's parents even have an annual Derby Party and we had a Preakness Party last year) but due to the time difference and traveling, we weren't able to watch the previous 2 races this year. 

Update: Turns out there will be no Triple Crown contender after all, I'll Have Another was scratched due to an injury. 

We did go to some races here in España last summer. During 2 weeks in August there are horse races on the beach in Sanlucar de Barrameda, which is a town just north of Puerto. Despite the casual atmosphere of the playa, the races are a big event. The horses are both local and from various European countries, and there are cash prizes for the winners. The first time we went, we watched from the beach, while enjoying some tintos de verano with friends.

Feria season snaps

Feria season, when towns in España celebrate with week-long fairs, came to our area in between our honeymoon and our trip to Dublin (more on that soon!). All of that travel, combined with some unusually cold and rainy weather, meant that we weren't able to go as much as we had planned. The noche before we left for Dublin, the weather cleared and we were able to go to the Rota Feria de Primavera (spring). We stayed until almost 3 in the morning, but many of the casetas, which are fair tents with food, drinks, and music, were still going strong. 

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Hola 2012!  We've all said adios to 2011 (it was a good year - we got married, we moved to Spain, Graham learned to order a beer in Spanish) but the holiday season isn't over yet here in Spain.  While people in the States are already taking down their Christmas trees, putting away the Mannheim Steamroller CDs, and folding their ugly sweaters, the Spanish are still in full swing.